Protests in Gaza pullout

Thousands of Israeli troops marched into Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip today, delivering eviction notices in some communities, but encountering locked gates and protesters at others, as Israel's historic pullout from the coastal territory got under way.

Thousands of Israeli troops marched into Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip today, delivering eviction notices in some communities, but encountering locked gates and protesters at others, as Israel's historic pullout from the coastal territory got under way.

Hundreds of Jewish settlers, many praying and singing, blocked the gates of Neve Dekalim, Gaza's largest settlement, promising fierce but non-violent resistance. In other communities, hysterical residents, many wearing orange - the colour of defiance - tearfully implored soldiers not to carry out their orders.

Military commanders listened quietly to the settlers' appeals, but said they would not be deterred. "We will reach every settler, just as we have planned," said Maj. Gen. Dan Harel, Israel's commander over the Gaza region.

After months of political wrangling and mass protests, the Gaza pullout began at midnight, when soldiers lowered a red road barrier at the Kissufim border crossing between Israel and Gaza, signalling it had become illegal for Israeli civilians to be in Gaza.

Over the next month, Israel plans to remove all 21 Jewish settlements from Gaza and four small enclaves in the West Bank. The withdrawal marks the first time Israel dismantles settlements in areas captured in the 1967 Mideast War and claimed by the Palestinians.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon believes the withdrawal will improve Israeli security by reducing friction with the Palestinians. Jewish settlers fiercely oppose the withdrawal, with many accusing the government of abandoning territory promised to the Jews by God.